Most people who have problems with dairy is because of a lactose intolerance.  Lactose is a sugar, and as far as I know, it's found in all animal's milk.  Switching to goat's milk won't help the majority of people who have problems with cow's milk.  It might work for some, but they just assume it's the lactose.

People also tend to buy what's on their list, so they might not even notice a new item, especially in the dairy aisle as there is so much choice already, and I find the products generally don't make great displays unlike something like a cookie or cereal box.

A grocery store has offered to special order something for me, but I just went to another store as it was medical and I didn't want to wait.  It was also likely cheaper at the store I bought it from.

My parents have special ordered things from the bakery for special events and holidays.

I have bought goat's cheese before.  It wasn't feta, but wasn't specified.  I assume it was chevre, but I'm not a cheese snob.  I liked it, but it was a softer cheese, and it bothered me as much as a cow's cheese of the same hardness would, so it's not something I would eat in large quantities on a regular basis.  I do really enjoy it in salads.  Generally the softer the cheese the more lactose it has.

I've never tried goat's milk, but I absolutely love goat's cheese! In fact, I happened to buy some today - this time I decided on a camembert-style cheese. I buy it simply because I love the flavour. We happen to have a local company that makes the goat's cheese and lots of stores around here sell it (today I happened to go to one of their two "outlet" stores where I got to chat with the company's owner). This company does ship outside the province, but I don't think they ship to your area yet, Beloved. That said, if you want I can provide you with the name and you can put in a request to your local store.

I never thought of that.  My testing was done through a blood test - a Basic Food Panel - and it shows that I am to avoid cow's milk (casein, cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, mozarella cheese, swiss cheese, and other cow's milk products). But for goat's milk I test very low . . . so I can have goats milk.  I'm not sure if allergy and lactose intolerance are one and the same thing?

The brand of cheddar goat's cheese (hard cheese) I was able to buy here until a few weeks ago was Woolwich Dairy Inc.  And the feta cheese I liked was the same brand.

The Loblaw chain carries Hewitt goat milk in Ontario. I could tell you many stories of how we got goat milk for our kids (includiong having it sent by air freight) years ago.

Allergies and intolerances are very different.  There aren't very many reliable tests for intolerances.  There is a test for lactose intolerance, but I read it isn't useful for those with celiac disease, and I'm not sure about other gastro-intestinal issues.

Woolwich Dairy's website says you can order cheese direct from them & they will ship to you directly if you wish :-)   It also lists retail outlets.  I think most feta cheese is made from goat's cheese, but I could be mistaken.  

I guess you've ruled out buying a goat or two?  Good luck!

The brand I love is neither Hewitt nor Woolwich - it's named for the island it is produced on (not Vancouver Island, but one of the smaller ones nearby).

This article talks about primarily intolerances, but also allergies:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/tests-for-food-al...

I've used a lot of goat dairy products over the years. I have some cow's milk intolerance, and so did both of my children as infants. The milk is fine for kids, anyway, and for colouring coffee, although it's a bit strong tasting (I can't imagine it in tea...). I love goats cheese, but it's limited, and NOT all feta is goat - it must say so. Sheep's milk cheeses are also very nice and tend to be similarly well tolerated compared to cow.

I find goat yogurt intolerable because of the strong goat-y odour and flavour, but if you like it, it's great stuff for you and for a variety of baking needs.

Milk is usually easy-ish to find, as is a limited variety of cheese (chevre, feta and sometimes cheddar). Yogurt not so much.

Thanks for the clarification re feta, Bette.  I will read labels more closely now :-)

At the Italian Market, I can choose between cow, goat and sheep feta.

I can't eat any goat milk/ cheese/ yogurt products. Even when it is hidden in cooked, well seasoned, meals I taste it right away and I gag. I don't know why it should be any different from cow's milk for me, but it is. I have to ask now- since goat cheese is so unfortunately common-if there's anything with feta on the menu, if it's cow or goat feta. Sometimes they don't know and get frustrated. But I really can't handle it. It's one of very few foods I won't eat. Anything that tastes gamey, I can't eat. Neither of my parents are really picky eaters, culturally speaking, in the sense that they will try foods they're not used to (my dad likes deer and moose, etc. I don't. If someone tried to pass it off as beef, I could tell no matter how much spice was in it), so will I, and both like trying 'exotic foods', so that's not the problem with goat cheese. I wasn't brought up to have anything against it. I have no aversion to the idea that the milk comes from a goat rather than a cow, my taste buds just pick it up instantly and reject it. It's actually awkward when someone makes something with goat/ milk cheese and forgets to mention it, because I just can't swallow it. And I am sure if it weren't for that I would enjoy it. I've tried. Some people can't tell the difference when it's in recipes with other ingredients to flavor it, like my husband, but for some reason, I can. I don't think I have a proper "allergy" to it. I just can't swallow it.

Ice cream and cheese (cows milk) can give me a tummy ache, but that hasn't stopped me from eating it altogether. Just less rich dairy, generally.

My taste buds might be too sensitive. I can also taste it immediately when red (only red) food coloring is added to anything. It's bitter, whatever chemical is in it (red dye #4 I think) and overpowers whatever it's in. I've never met anyone else with these concerns (besides my parents with goat cheese. I think I must be alone with the red food colouring, though. It's a bit weird- even to me- but I do correctly identify it). I have been reading though- we do exist.

All red?  There are different dyes.

The goat cheese I can understand, I think if I was given some as a kid I wouldn't have liked it.  It's pretty strongly flavoured.  I haven't had the milk to know.

It must be the artificial #4 dye. I know restaurants rarely use crushed beetles as natural dye (dye made with certain beetles). Beets (the root vegetable) and beet juice are a bit bitter too, mind you, but more tolerable. Different from artificial. That just hits me immediately. I can pick it out on my palette right away. I can eat it (unlike goat anything) but prefer not to. I read about Starbucks using crushed beetle dye. I had a red velvet cupcake there and it was fine. I think it's the artificial dye- what they put in candy(red jelly beans, artificial red licorice, cinnamon hearts), red jelly, red drink crystals/ artificial fruit punch, candied red cherries, red sprinkles on cookies, most pink icing, and sometimes sauces/ glazes and cheap ketchup, so they look brighter red. I don't taste any other colours of food colouring, though. Blue, green, yellow- can't tell.

The milk and cheese are both goat "dairy" it's the same favour/ sensation on my tongue (in my nose too, once I put it in my mouth, I can smell it. Weird, I know, and a pain for gourmet cooks) that I pick up right away.

I was never given it as a kid (goat cheese). I ordered a four cheese pizza (4 cheese something) at a nice restaurant on my birthday, in my twenties, years ago and couldn't eat it. It looked tasty, I remember. Nothing wrong with it. Everyone else liked it. I read the menu closer to discover there was goat cheese. Also, around that time, an old boss used to put goat milk in his coffee. I guess the trend was just catching on here. I tried it thinking it would be the same (I've used coffee mate, powdered milk, condensed milk, soy milk- not too picky as long as there's a bit of some kind of milk in it usually), because the coffee bitterness would cover it anyway, and I had the same reaction. I had never before had a donair I didn't like. I had a spicy donair somewhere and had the same taste bud reaction. I asked afterwards and found out they put goat yogurt in their wrap sauce. So, it's not just in my mind. I have had the same response without even thinking about what I'm eating, even if there's lots of other seasoning in it. So now, if at mediterranean restaurants especially, I ask. I wish I could eat it because some cheeses look really good and everyone else thinks I'm crazy to not have any, and sometimes I feel rude if a friend made an effort to cook something.

Sorry for the long explanation. I go on. It's just that I can't seem to convince others it's not just a matter of preference and a number of times I must've behaved like I'm spoiled or too picky, which I try never to do as a guest. Now, goat cheese is so common I am afraid to tell a host beforehand I can't eat it (like vegetarians do). More often than not, it's served at dinner parties and at nice restaurants (Christmas is coming- cheese platters). I can eat things with flavours I don't enjoy and get over it. But this is different. Other than my parents (who discovered their aversions independent from each other and me)- everyone I talk to likes it. Anyone else experienced/ heard of this? Can food aversions (not allergies) be genetic?

It's OK.

I don't like Kokanee.

Haha. It's alright. Better than Big Rock ;) actually Big Rock's fine. I don't like Heineken. Skunky beer gives me a headache. That's another one lots of people like and serve when they're being more 'fancy'.

Probably.  I know of specfic genes that affect whether or not a specific chemical can be smelled.  It would make sense for taste too.  It's also just a strong taste.  I can't say I've ever had something with goat cheese that I didn't notice it.  I just happen to like it now :)

Certain things I used to dislike, I have eaten and learned to like. A couple of things I just can't. Interesting that my parents are the same (yet, my step-mother isn't. She and my dad are otherwise kind of 'foodies'. He'll eat everything else).

But I know a lot of people buy it because of lactose intolerance. I probably would too if I didn't have taste bud/ ole factory intolerance.